Battle of Foy

The Battle of Foy (20 December 1944-14 January 1945) was a military engagement between the US Army and the German Wehrmacht that occurred as a part of the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-1945. The battle saw Foy change hands four times, with the Americans ultimately recapturing the town from the Germans.

On 20 December 1944, during the German Ardennes offensive, the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich took the town of Foy from 1st Battalion, US 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, US 101st Airborne Division, suffering heavy losses in the process; 500-1,000 German troops and 30 tanks were lost, while 199 US soldiers and 13 officers were lost. The American paratroopers, including Easy Company, counterattacked on 9 January 1945 with assistance from artillery, and they repelled a counterattack at 4:15 AM on 14 January 1945. The Germans later sent in 14 tanks and a whole battalion to retake the town, and they succeeded. However, the Americans counterattacked at 9:30 AM, and they suffered significant losses due to a lack of cover in the open and snowy fields and during the house-to-house fighting. The Americans were eventually able to retake the town with the help of the US 11th Armored Division, and the Germans were forced back one last time, leaving the town in American hands.